The discussion about the need to reform the Ministry of Awqaf (Islamic Endowment) in order to improve its ability to face up to extremism is a source of ridicule. Maybe no one has noticed that this ministry in particular has been in principle privatized in Jordan through the establishment of religious societies which receive support from Gulf state. The two year spending of a single one of these organization whose name and source of funding is known, is more than the entire budget of the ministry of waqf, according to published reports.

The effects of these societies span over 7,000 mosques in Jordan. There are no Imams in 57% of them and no Muazen (the man who calls to prayer) in 35% of these mosques). Electricity is often cut off because of the inability to pay the energy bills.

Official statements talks about the need to educate the preachers and Imams because a high percentage of them have not finished high school and rarely carry certificates. But the painful reality is not related to the absence of an education of these imams but the fact that their theology is extreme and they are opposed to all forms of social, artistic and cultural openness.

Those in power still believe that if they can force Muslim preachers not to defame Christians and other Islamic denominations, this will solve the problem. They don’t realize that the majority of these sheiks are opposed to mixed genders in education and work as well as tourism. That they are opposed to banking and loans, against festivals and contests as well as other forms of entertainment , music and other elements of this era.

The official extremism (departments of waqf and Ifta) that we have is an economic and social burden on society as well as private extremism supported from inside and outside and which attracts young people. These private organizations are spread out through camps, and badiya areas through the learning the Quran centers which receive symbolic financial support sincethe 1990s for providing religious classes, cassettes, printed materials, trips, prizes as They also provide badly needed social welfare support which the state has long ago stopped paying attention to.

One of the worst affected areas regarding government withdrawal has been in education and health both in quantity and quality. Yet we still hear of consecutive governments or individuals from society building on average 150-200 mosques a year which it later is unable to upkeep. While the cost of building these mosques run into the tens of millions, it would have made much more sense to build and furnish schools, hospitals, medical centers as well as playgrounds and parks.

Let us discuss the role of the mosque in all honest whether in fighting extremism or otherwise. Since the dawn of Islam, the state has been established in the mosque through the supervision and giving direction to the pulpit, training the fighters, doctors and medics, educators and the center of governance With time some of these institutions and roles became independent with the exception of a single role left to governments, namely that of the Friday preacher whose sermons have always been a source of propaganda for the authority whenever circumstances required.

To be more specific, the preachers became employees doing a job and it is important to ask why does it exist. A large survey will provide the weakness of their language, the short sighteness of their view and their extremism. Every person who becomes “religious” and can read and write can find his spiritual need by going to the books or by pressing the google button without having to suffer through a weak and meaningless sermon, but people have become used to attend despite the fact that they regularly make fun of the preachers.

Back to the articles opener, it seems that many Arab countries, including Jordan, have exhausted their abilities to benefit from the mosque because its traditional role has ended. But a number of ideological countries have decided to create new jobs by opening religious organizations that can easily reach every house and family. The state has therefore given up on theater and cinema as well as clubs, libraries, gardens and museums and has dried up funding to all kinds of civil efforts.

This drying up by governments and its “sheiks” on the one hand, and the private religious organizations on the other hand will only produce violence. This trans state violence is absorbed by Jihadi organizations. This violence is directed to the inside, to universities, schools and the entire society exists because of one major headline- the rejection of the other. And despite all this, there is a strange insistence on wasting finances and efforts by investing in the same instruments that are producing violence, and extremism in the fight against terrorism.

لقراءة الأصل بالعربي الرجاء